Adding subtitles to videos in Open edX

Best practices for Open edX dictate that using subtitles on your videos is a really good idea. It makes your course more accessible, allows videos to be searchable by students, and it allows students to navigate to different parts of the video based on what's being said. Here's how it works:

Whether you're linking a new video, or you're working with a video you already uploaded, start by clicking on the edit button.

Here, if your video has captions on YouTube, you will see this option for "Import YouTube Transcript." Simply click the button and it's as easy as that! You should see a confirmation message that says "Timed Transcript Found." Don't forget to click Save.

However, if your video doesn't have a transcript on YouTube, and you've had to create it yourself, Open edX still allows you to upload it. Just select the "Upload New Transcript" option.

Select the .srt file you have created as a transcript for your video.

If you have not created an .srt file for your video, there are a few resources around the internet for how it's done. But that's a separate how-to, than this one!

And you've done it! Students can now read as the watch, and even click on specific parts of the subtitles and have the video automatically jump to that exact point!